As is well known, prices of precious metals (most notably gold) have risen greatly in recent years. Industrial consumption of precious metals has increased in recent years, diminishing the available supply of certain metals. These factors have greatly increased the price of finger rings utilizing certain precious metals. In an effort to keep the price of finger rings down, ring manufacturers have tried various manufacturing techniques to reduce the volume of precious metal utilized.
Rings have been made of an inexpensive metal and then coated or "plated" with he desired precious metals. This method is undesirable because when the ring becomes scratched or worn, the underlying metal shows through.
Also, rings have been made completely of a precious metal but molded in such a way that the ring band is hollow. This method is undesirable because there is an obvious weight difference between such a hollow ring and a genuninely solid precious metal ring.
Further, a ring can be made as described above with the addition of an inexpensive metal to the hollow part of the ring. This method is desirable in that scratches ad wearing away of the surface will not expose the underlying metal. However, this method is undesirable in that a major part of the ring is still composed of the precious metal; thus the ring is nearly as expensive as the solid precious metal ring.
The present invention provides a finger ring which has an outer, upper surface covered wth a precious metal so that the ring appears to be composed entirely of the precious metal, with the outer cap of precious metal being sufficiently thick that the normal wearing and scratching, even over a long period of time, will not expose the underlying metal. In the present invention, the cap is molded to conform to the molded surface of the ring base such that cap and base interlock perfectly.